Last Summer, I met Marcia at a workshop, she was sitting in front of me, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the gorgeous bracelets that seem to dance on her wrist. And, don’t get me started on her earrings! Now, I have a thing for earrings and bracelets, so I had to know where she bought her jewelry. When she told me that she made them, I had to put in an order! I also have a stunning pair of her earrings that I wear practically every day! I love that each of her pieces is handmade from a blend of mixed metals, including repurposed silver plate platters, sterling, bronze, and copper.
Welcome, Marcia, I’m so honored to have you as my guest this month on my blog.
Thank you so much, Renee, for this opportunity. I’m delighted to answer some of your questions and really appreciate your interest in sharing my story here on your blog.
Who or what inspired you to start designing jewelry?
I have always loved making all kinds of things. I knew I wanted to make jewelry, but I could just not figure out how to solder the way I wanted to solder. It wasn’t until I took a jewelry-making workshop years ago, from an artist I truly admire, Stephanie Lee, that I found the gate door to what I like to call, my “metal playground”. Ever since then I’ve been teaching myself all kinds of ways to stretch, grow and further refine my jewelry making techniques, mostly by trial and error.
What do you consider to be your most significant source of inspiration?
I find inspiration in all kinds of things, but honestly, I rely most on just paying attention to my surroundings. Whether I’m walking in nature or filling up a cup of coffee in my kitchen, I see things that give me ideas. I looked closely at the way my coffee maker was hinged one day and came up with a great idea for a way to hinge a locket. And on another day, I saw the coolest shape and pattern that mold growing on a dead Agapanthus flower stem created in my own backyard. I knew I wanted to recreate that pattern in metal, so I did. And it turned out great.
Tell us about the materials you use in your designs.
Oh, I love talking about this. I use a lot of re-purposed silver plate material. I love the idea of taking something that someone cast away and giving it new life. I take old platters and turn them into beautiful pieces of modern silver plate jewelry. I also make a lot of things out of jeweler’s bronze. It is a brass that has a little higher copper content than the traditional yellow brass. It turns into a beautiful color once I add patina and buff it several times. And I love working with sterling silver. All of my wire work is sterling. It’s a material that’s easy to work with and it’s just so beautiful. A lot of people are sensitive to metal and can only wear sterling or 14Kt gold. That’s why all of my ear wire is sterling.
Your jewelry is really a work of art. Can you tell us a little about your design process and what goes into creating a collection?
Thank you so much. Yes, I’ve really just started to think about collections and how I categorize my work. The only collection I’m featuring in my shop right now is my “Bold, Bronze and Beautiful” collection. I also call it “B Times 3”. It is all about bronze jewelry that is statement-making and bold. When I sit down to create more items in this bronze collection I try to think “Bold”. I’m working on another collection that I hope to introduce in the spring called “Dancing Daisies and Vacillating Vines”. It’s all about the shapes I see in flowers and leaves. To me, this collection is lighter looking, less bold and more organic. “Romantic Reflections” is a collection of mine featuring the use of etched silver plate embellished with subtle gemstones reflective, in color, of the pastels one might see in Monet’s garden. Regardless of the collection, I try to think of the one or two words that feel like it says it all when I sit down to create. My one words for these would be “Bold”, “Organic” and “Romantic”.
Do you have any words of wisdom that you can share if they might be interested in jewelry design?
Yes. I think it is important for anyone who is interested in pursuing jewelry design to learn the techniques needed to move forward and then independently practice a lot. Practice to develop and express a unique voice. I think it is important for all artists and designers to look into our own lives for inspiration. We need to pay attention to our own sense of style and hone-in-on that. I created an exercise for myself one time and it taught me a great deal about myself and wanted to share with the world. It was basically just one giant list of all kinds of things that I gravitate toward and like. It’s hard not to admire what others create and want to simply recreate what we see. For me, focusing on things that I just seem to like, for whatever reason, really enabled me to realize that I truly have a style that is unique.
You can find more of Marcia’s beautiful designs here: